Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing measures that are in place, the 40th Annual District 97 Multicultural Parade and Festival scheduled for May 2 has been postponed indefinitely.
Although the state’s current stay-at-home order is effective through April 30, there is still a lot of uncertainty around when and how public gatherings will resume in our community. We do know, however, that the Village of Oak Park issued an order on Tuesday to keep all Park District of Oak Park playgrounds, fields and courts closed through May 5 to help slow the spread of the virus. All organized sports games and competitions also remain prohibited through that date.
As community leaders, we remain committed to doing everything we can to protect public health and safety. Because of the date and format of the Multicultural Festival and the large number of people who attend each year, we believe it is in the best interest of the community to postpone the event until we have updated guidance from state and local officials.
The Multicultural Festival, which celebrates the diversity of our schools and the Oak Park community, is one of our proudest traditions. We are disappointed that we cannot hold the event as previously planned, but look forward to its return once we are all able to safely gather again.
Thank you to our organizers and those who were planning to participate. We will keep the community updated on our plans. In the meantime, information about COVID-19 and our school closure can be found on our website, at www.op97.org/coronavirus.